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Akeelah and the Bee (2006) 7.5
Ratings:
7.5/10 from 14,517 users
Metascore: 72/100
Reviews: 169 user | 95 critic | 30 from Metacritic.com A young girl from South Los Angeles tries to make it to the National Spelling Bee. Director:Doug AtchisonWriter:Doug Atchison |
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Keke Palmer | ... | ||
| Laurence Fishburne | ... | ||
| Angela Bassett | ... | ||
| Curtis Armstrong | ... | ||
| J.R. Villarreal | ... |
Javier
(as JR Villarreal)
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| Sean Michael Afable | ... | ||
| Sahara Ware | ... |
Georgia
(as Sahara Garey)
|
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| Lee Thompson Young | ... | ||
| Julito McCullum | ... | ||
| Erica Hubbard | ... | ||
| Eddie Steeples | ... | ||
| Dalia Phillips | ... | ||
| Tzi Ma | ... | ||
| Jeris Poindexter | ... |
Steve
(as Jeris Lee Poindexter)
|
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| Sara Niemietz | ... | ||
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
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Storyline
Eleven year-old Akeelah Anderson's life is not easy: her father is dead, her mom ignores her, her brother runs with the local gangbangers. She's smart, but her environment threatens to strangle her aspirations. Responding to a threat by her school's principal, Akeelah participates in a spelling bee to avoid detention for her many absences. Much to her surprise and embarrassment, she wins. Her principal asks her to seek coaching from an English professor named Dr. Larabee for the more prestigious regional bee. As the possibility of making it all the way to the Scripps National Spelling Bee looms, Akeelah could provide her community with someone to rally around and be proud of -- but only if she can overcome her insecurities and her distracting home life. She also must get past Dr. Larabee's demons, and a field of more experienced and privileged fellow spellers. Written by Shannon Patrick Sullivan <shannon@mun.ca>
Plot Keywords:
spelling | spelling bee | national spelling bee | principal | school principal |Taglines:
Changing the world... one word at a time.Genres:
DramaParents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
28 April 2006 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
A som i Akeelah See more »Box Office
Opening Weekend:
$6,011,585 (USA) (28 April 2006)Gross:
$18,811,135 (USA) (14 July 2006)Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Dr. Larabee: Does that mean anything to you?
Akeelah: I don't know.
Dr. Larabee: It's written in plain English. What does it mean?
Akeelah:
Dr. Larabee:
Akeelah:
See more »
(1965)
Written by Otis Redding
Performed by Aretha Franklin
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The final word spelled by Dylan is logorrhea. This is the winning word from the documentary Spellbound (2002) which tracks several participants in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bell in 1999. See more »Goofs
At the national bee, Javier, Akeelah and Dylan are wearing the numbers 28, 36 and 62, respectively. Since all three come from the same region, their numbers should be within one of each other. See more »Quotes
Akeelah: [quoting Marianne Williamson] Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.Dr. Larabee: Does that mean anything to you?
Akeelah: I don't know.
Dr. Larabee: It's written in plain English. What does it mean?
Akeelah:
Dr. Larabee:
Akeelah:
See more »
Soundtracks
Respect(1965)
Written by Otis Redding
Performed by Aretha Franklin
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing
See more »
Akeelah and the Bee is an excellent movie, and it deserves universal recognition for the unbelievably powerful message, storyline, and theme evident throughout. First of all, Starbucks's co-operation with Laurence Fishburne to produce the movie was a great move on everybody's part. And though many critics may say that Akeelah and the Bee was just another "inspirational film," lacking the originality and pungency necessary for good cinema, the people with such a belief just don't get it. Like Rudy (1993), Akeelah and the Bee is most certainly original in that the story is plausible, meaningful, and very emotional. The only real difference between the two films is that whereas Rudy is based on a true story, Akeelah and the Bee is completely fictional. Also, the fact that all of the real protagonists in the film are minorities brings an incredible new level to the silver screen. Very few recently released movies feature an African-American female--a youth, no less--in the role of the main character. And for viewers to see Akeelah--as well as her mother, her siblings, her best friend, her coach, and her other two spelling-bee companions: all of whom are minorities--achieve such great heights is most definitely "inspirational," and in the right sense. Even for the movie-viewer whose favorites are full of action, violence, and gore, Akeelah and the Bee strikes the heart directly. And for those who like the tear-jerkers, no better movie exists than this one. Without question, this film is one of the best I have seen in a long time, and many will agree that it is an exceptional piece of work. I would honestly be shocked if someone really believed in his or her mind that Akeelah and the Bee "was a waste of time."